Proposed council cut risks future of loneliness service, Age UK warns

A decision will be made at a council meeting at Stenson House on 22 February

A charity has warned it may have to stop a befriending service for lonely and vulnerable older people in part of Leicestershire if it loses council funding.

North West Leicestershire District Council is considering ending a yearly £21,990 grant to Age UK.

Age UK said the scheme was a "lifeline" for 45 people in the area.

But the authority said it had to make difficult decisions to balance its books.

The charity said the grant covered the expenses of volunteers who visited lonely older people at home, or telephoned them, as well as paying a member of staff to co-ordinate the scheme.

Sandra, 81, from Coalville, currently receives weekly visits from an Age UK volunteer and said she would be devastated if they stopped.

Age UK Leicestershire executive director Tony Donovan said: "Many of the people using our befriending service are living with a long-term health condition, including an increasing number of people who have a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, low mood and anxiety.

"This is frequently linked to bereavement or the loss of social networks due to failing health.

"If funding is withdrawn, the majority of these people, if not all of them, will become an additional pressure not only on the district council but on the social care and health sector."

'Difficult decisions'

The council said it planned to gradually reduce the Age UK grant by £7,330 annually over the next three years.

It said Age UK was a national organisation with other funding streams and that it would work with the charity to find different ways to maintain support for local people.

The future of the grant will be decided at the council's budget meeting at Stenson House on 22 February.

Council cabinet member Nick Rushton said: "There's no doubt about it, we're in a position now where we're having to make some difficult decisions to be able to balance the budget, but we're proposing to do this in a way that protects our most important services."